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Healthcare wait times a concern for patients: poll

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A new poll shows most people in BC give our medical system a clean bill of health.

There is one key area that most feel needs improvement.

Almost three quarters of people think long wait times for tests and at emergency rooms are the biggest worry in our province, with most saying they wait an hour or more.

Mario Canseco with Insights West tells us the survey finds a shortage of doctors and nurses is also a concern. “This is interesting because we do see the findings fluctuate wildly when we get into some of the rural areas of BC. This really speaks to specific communities where there may only be one or two doctors who can see a lot of people, it’s certainly something that’s worrying for many of them.”

He adds just one-in-five people believe the health care system is well-managed. “There’s a tendency from residents to assume that most of the problems that are related to the healthcare system are bureaucratic. People are satisfied with their doctors, with their nurses when they stay at the hospital, but, they think more should be done to get the care faster than we are right now.